Synonyms and antonyms of Musical instruments in British Thesaurus

accordion (noun)

a musical instrument played by moving the ends of a box in and out while pressing keys and buttons. Someone who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.

air guitar (noun)

an imaginary guitar that you pretend to play when listening to rock music

baby grand (noun)

a small grand piano

bagpipes (noun)

a Scottish musical instrument consisting of a bag with several pipes sticking out of it. You play it by blowing air through one of the pipes. Someone who plays the bagpipes is called a piper.

balalaika (noun)

a Russian musical instrument with three strings and a body shaped like a triangle

banjo (noun)

a musical instrument like a guitar but with a smaller round body

barrel organ (noun)

a large instrument that plays music when the handle is turned, used in the past to entertain people in the street

bass (noun)

a bass guitar

bass (noun)

a double bass

bass guitar (noun)

an electric guitar, usually with four strings, that produces very low notes

bassoon (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a long wooden tube that you hold upright and play by blowing into a thin metal pipe that holds a double reed. It can produce very low sounds. A bassoon is a woodwind instrument. Someone who plays the bassoon is called a bassoonist.

bongos (noun)

a pair of small drums that you play with your hands

bugle (noun)

a musical instrument, consisting of a curved metal tube that is wide at one end and that you play by blowing into the other. Bugles are sometimes used by the army to show that an activity is about to begin or end.

castanets (noun)

a Spanish musical instrument consisting of a pair of small round pieces of wood or plastic held in one hand and brought together quickly to make a clicking sound, used especially by dancers

cello (noun)

a large musical instrument with strings, held between the legs by someone who is sitting and played by pulling an object called a bow across the strings

clarinet (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a long black tube that you play by blowing into it as you press its keys. A clarinet is a woodwind instrument. Someone who plays the clarinet is called a clarinettist.

clavichord (noun)

a musical instrument similar to a piano that was used especially in the 18th century

concertina (noun)

a musical instrument similar to an accordion that you play by pressing buttons on each side and pushing the two sides together

cor anglais (noun)

British a musical instrument that looks like a large oboe

cornet (noun)

a musical instrument like a small trumpet

cymbal (noun)

a simple musical instrument consisting of a thin circular piece of metal that you play by hitting it with a stick or by hitting two of them against each other. A cymbal is a percussion instrument.

didgeridoo (noun)

a traditional Australian musical instrument consisting of a long wooden tube that you blow into

double bass (noun)

a large musical instrument shaped like a violin that you rest on the floor and play standing up by pulling a bow across its strings. A double bass is a type of stringed instrument.

drum (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a tight skin stretched over a round frame that you hit with your hands or a stick. Someone who plays a drum is a drummer.

drum kit (noun)

a set of drums and cymbals (=round metal plates that you hit with a stick)

drum machine (noun)

an electronic musical instrument that makes the sound of drums

dulcimer (noun)

a musical instrument with a lot of strings that you play by hitting the strings gently with two hammers

dulcimer (noun)

a musical instrument with strings that you hold across your knees, often used for playing American folk music

euphonium (noun)

a large musical instrument consisting of a curved metal tube that is wide at one end. You play it by blowing into it as you press its buttons. A euphonium is a brass instrument.

fiddle (noun)

informal a violin

fife (noun)

a small flute, especially played by someone in a military band

flute (noun)

a musical instrument that you hold sideways to your mouth and play by blowing over a hole at one end as you press its keys. A flute is a woodwind instrument. Someone who plays the flute is called a flautist in British English and a flutist in American English.

French horn (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a long curved metal tube that is very wide at one end, played by blowing through it. A French horn is a brass instrument.

ghomma (noun)

a type of drum used especially in the Malay music of CapeTown in South Africa

glockenspiel (noun)

a musical instrument that consists of metal bars on a wooden frame. You play the glockenspiel by hitting the bars with a small hammer.

grand (noun)

a grand piano

grand piano (noun)

a type of large piano with its strings in a case parallel to the floor, usually used for concerts

guitar (noun)

a musical instrument with six strings, used in a wide variety of musical styles. It can be acoustic or electric. Someone who plays the guitar is called a guitarist

harmonica (noun)

a small musical instrument that you play by blowing and sucking as you move it from side to side between your lips

harmonium (noun)

a musical instrument similar to an organ in which the sound is made by pumping air with your hands or feet

harp (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a row of strings stretched over a large upright frame. Someone who plays a harp is called a harpist.

harpsichord (noun)

a musical instrument similar to a small piano

horn (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a tube that is wide at one end and that you play by blowing into the narrow end

horn (noun)

a simple instrument made from the horn of an animal that you blow to make a sound

hurdy-gurdy (noun)

a musical instrument that plays a tune when you turn a handle

kettledrum (noun)

a large drum with a round metal base

keyboards (noun)

a musical instrument that has a keyboard, especially an electric piano

kora (noun)

a West African musical instrument like a guitar

lute (noun)

a musical instrument like a guitar that people played in the past

lyre (noun)

an ancient Greek musical instrument with strings and shaped like the letter U

mandolin (noun)

a musical instrument that looks like a guitar with a curved back

maracas (noun)

a pair of musical instruments each shaped like a ball with a handle and filled with beads or beans. You play them by shaking them.

marimba (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of wooden bars of different sizes fixed to a frame. You play it by hitting the bars with sticks.

mouth organ (noun)

a harmonica

oboe (noun)

a musical instrument that you play by blowing air through a reed. An oboe is a woodwind instrument. Someone who plays the oboe is called an oboist.

organ (noun)

a large musical instrument with pipes of different length, played by pressing keys (=narrow bars) on it. Someone who plays an organ is an organist.

organ (noun)

a musical instrument that produces a sound like an organ

pan pipes (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of several wooden pipes joined together in a row that you play by blowing across the top

penny whistle (noun)

a small cheap musical instrument shaped like a tube and played by blowing into one end while covering different holes in the tube

piano (noun)

a large musical instrument with a row of black and white keys that produce notes when you press them. Someone who plays the piano is usually called a pianist, but someone who plays popular music or jazz can also be called a piano player

piano accordion (noun)

an accordion that has a row of keys, not buttons, that you press to produce the sound

pianoforte (noun)

formal a piano

Pianola ()

a type of player piano (=a piano that plays music by itself)

piccolo (noun)

a musical instrument similar to a small flute

pipes (noun)

a simple musical instrument consisting of one or more tubes that you blow through

pipes (noun)

bagpipes

recorder (noun)

a musical instrument that you play by blowing into a hole at the top while putting your fingers over other holes

sax (noun)

informal a saxophone

saxophone (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a long curved metal tube that you play by blowing into it as you press its keys with your fingers. Saxophones are used mainly for playing jazz music.

sitar (noun)

an Indian musical instrument like a guitar with a long neck and a round body

snare drum (noun)

a drum with thin metal strings fixed to the base that make a continuous sound when you hit it

squeezebox (noun)

informal an accordion

steel drum (noun)

a West Indian drum made of a large empty metal container

steel guitar (noun)

a guitar with ten strings that you play while pressing the strings with a metal bar

Steinway ()

a type of piano that is considered to be one of the best in the world

synthesiser ()

a British spelling of synthesizer

synthesizer (noun)

an electronic machine that produces and combines different sounds, especially for music

tabla (noun)

an Indian musical instrument consisting of two drums joined together

tamboura (noun)

an Asian musical instrument with strings, played like a guitar

tambourine (noun)

a musical instrument that you shake or hit with your hand, consisting of a round frame with a skin stretched over it and small pieces of metal around the edge

timpani (noun)

a set of kettledrums (=large drums used in an orchestra)

tin whistle (noun)

a musical instrument like a small tube with holes that you play by blowing through it, used especially in traditional Irish music

tom-tom (noun)

a type of drum that you play with your hands

triangle (noun)

a simple musical instrument consisting of a metal triangle that you hit with a metal bar. The triangle is a percussion instrument.

trombone (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of two metal tubes shaped like the letter U that fit into each other, with one tube wide at one end. You play it by blowing into it as you slide one of the tubes forwards and backwards. A trombone is a brass instrument. Someone who plays the trombone is called a trombonist.

trumpet (noun)

a musical instrument that is a curved metal tube with a wide end. You play it by blowing into it as you press buttons on the top. Someone who plays the trumpet is called a trumpeter or a trumpet player.

tuba (noun)

a large musical instrument that is a curved metal tube with a wide open end. You play it by blowing into it as you press buttons on the top. A tuba is a brass instrument.

tuning fork (noun)

a metal object that produces a particular note when you hit it, used by someone making small changes to a musical instrument so that it produces the correct note. It has a handle and two long thin parts.

ukelele (noun)

a musical instrument with four strings, similar to a small guitar

upright (noun)

an upright piano

upright piano (noun)

a tall narrow piano with the strings inside stretched from bottom to top. A long wide piano with strings that go from one side to the other is called a grand piano.

vibraphone (noun)

an electronic musical instrument with metal bars that you hit

viol (noun)

a musical instrument similar to a violin, used in the 16th and 17th centuries

viola (noun)

a musical instrument that is like a large violin but produces a deeper sound

violin (noun)

a musical instrument that you hold under your chin and play by pulling a long object called a bow across its strings. Someone who plays a violin is called a violinist

virginals (noun)

a musical instrument similar to a small piano that was used in the 16th and 17th centuries

whistle (noun)

a musical instrument consisting of a small metal tube that you blow

xylophone (noun)

a musical instrument with a row of narrow wooden pieces that produce notes when you hit them with a wooden hammer

zither (noun)

a small musical instrument consisting of a box with strings across the top. It is played using your fingers.